Gizmodo: s7

Viliv S7 Review: Looks So Good, Tastes So Bad

Mark Wilson — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 11:10:00 EDT

As a kid, I never ordered a deep sea submarine off the back of a cereal box only to discover it was a lousy little model. But I did fall for the promise of the Viliv S7 convertible netbook.

The Price

Starts at $630 (with 1.3GHz Atom, 1GB RAM, 32GB SSD, Win XP)

The Verdict

A lousy screen ruins the entire experience.

At 1.76lbs, the viliv S7 sounds like a small machine. And compared to your average 10-inch Atom netbook, it really is. But the viliv S7 never feels small...not like its little brother the viliv S5. Because as soon as you swivel the screen from netbook mode to tablet, it feels bulkier, heavier and completely unfun to use.
The screen to case ratio isn't all that great, but that's the least of the problems in the tablet design. The resistive display is covered in what feels like a crumby screen protector that requires awkward, hard presses to open folders reliably—never with stunning accuracy. (Friendlier capacitive tech is what you see in devices like the Zune HD and iPhone.) It's dim at even the brightest settings. And worst of all, the glare is so bad that you can't use it at all near a window. UPDATE: On second look, the brightness is adequate, but its propensity for glare is atrocious. And I use a glossy Macbook.

This may be the only LCD in history with a more discernible side viewing angle than you get head-on.

A pivot button rotates your desktop quickly from portrait to landscape modes in a full 360-degree rotation (which is great for the old upside down laptop screen trick). And the placement of the trackpad, right up by the screen, is so comfortable and convenient that it should be a netbook standard.
But these smart design elements, even when coupled with a battery rated for nearly a day of use, just can't thwart the fatal mistake of a complete piece of crap display, the centerpiece of any tablet.

Long battery life

Devastatingly bad screen

I mean, it's really bad

Really, really bad

Nothing else really matters because it's so bad

Oh, but the fold-out Wi-Fi antenna is ADORABLE.

Swiveling Touchscreen Viliv S7 Spotted With Lofty Asking Price

Jack Loftus — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 14:00:00 EDT

The Viliv S7, that hot little number we spec'd for you in January, is all but out and about today with one little caveat: Its not so little asking price is pegged between $630 to $800, depending on options.

If that drew a bit of a dubious whistle out of you, you're not alone. Comments over at CrunchGear echo the sentiment, and cast just the slightest bit of uncertainty over this impressive little rig's shiny sheen.

A recap, if you please:

There's a substantial seven hours of video playback on a swiveling 1024x600 7-inch touchscreen, thanks in part to the energy-sipping internals. An impressively sized keyboard sits on top of standard netbook specs, including an Atom processor (up to 1.86 GHz), 1 GB memory, 60 GB HDD/16 GB SSD, and Windows XP.

Not bad, but the price is pushing it, if ever so slightly. Or maybe you disagree. Thoughts before the inevitably soonish release? [Dynamism via CrunchGear]

Viliv S7 Takes On the Sony Vaio P With a Tablet Twist

Dan Nosowitz — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 10:00:00 EST

Specs for Viliv's S7 UMPC/netbook/tablet/whatever have popped up, and while the gadget's guts are similar to other netbooks, the physical design— including a jumbo keyboard and battery and a swiveling touchscreen— sets it apart.

We already knew about the S7, but when it was announced this summer, no specs or hands-on time were released with it, so it's nice to get some solid data on the little guy. The S7's 1024x600 screen is only 7 inches, but the sides are stretched out to a nearly Sony Vaio P-esque length:width ratio to make room for a usable keyboard and a very substantial battery. The screen itself is a swiveling touchscreen, like a traditional tablet, and Viliv brags that the battery can last a whopping 7 hours of video playback.

Besides that, it's got the standard netbook guts: Atom proc up to 1.86 GHz, 1 GB of memory, 60 GB HDD/16 GB SSD, and Windows XP. Price and release date are still unknown, but it'll probably hit Korea before making its way west. UMPC Portal got a hands-on, embedded below.
[UMPC Portal]

Pentax Optio S7 Debuts

Charlie White — Tue, 25 Jul 2006 08:49:49 EDT

Pentax updates its S series with the Optio S7, raising the megapixel count to 7.0 and bringing along a 3x optical zoom and 2.5-inch LCD viewscreen. Pentax follows suit with a number of other camera makers, trying to help users sharpen up their images by giving them faster response, raising the ISO to 1600. This gives users the equivalent of loading up a roll of fast film back in the old analog film days.

There are some other notable features inside, such as DivX movie shooting with an anti-shake feature that slightly zooms in the picture so it can be stabilized, and also auto tracking autofocus, which should come in handy when practicing that time-honored art form: fidgety kid photography. Look for the Pentax Optio S7 in September for $299. – Charlie White

Pentax Optio S7 [Digital Photography Blog]

Sanyo Xacti S7

Charlie White — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 09:16:56 EDT

Sanyo adds another addition to its Xacti line, the S7, packing 7.1 megapixels into its slimline form factor. Add to that a 2.5-inch LCD viewscreen along with video recording capability at 640x480/30fps, and you have yet another acceptable choice in this increasingly crowded field of compact shooters. One characteristic that sets the Xacti S7 apart from the burgeoning crowd is its ergonomic shape, with a slight bulge on its right side just under the shutter release that makes it easier to grip.

Other than that, we're wondering if the name Xacti refers to the fact that this camera has specs and dimensions that are Xactly like dozens of others just like it. How on earth would anyone decide which one to buy? We're thinking buyers will just be shopping price, but then Sanyo was not forthcoming with the price of the Xacti S7. Maybe we'll find out when it's introduced at Photokina 2006, which starts September 26. – Charlie White

Sanyo Xacti S7 [LetsGoDigital]

Motorola S7 Bluetooth Headset

Charlie White — Wed, 22 Mar 2006 10:26:03 EST

The Motorola S7 Bluetooth headset has apparently been approved by the FCC. Don't fret, this is not another pair of Oakley Thumps, but the trick here is that the headset can be attached to your own eyewear, and a mullet is optional.

Pricing and availability weren't available, but details are said to be forthcoming.

Motorola S7: Stylish Bluetooth Headset From Motorola Makes An Appearance [Mobilewhack]